Candelabra



B. CROUCH CANDELABRA May 28, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1959 v INVENTOR 5/?0CKM/6WVC/l,

ATTORNEY-5 y 28, 1963 B. CROUCH 3,091,106

CANDELABRA Filed June 10, 1959 3 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR EIQQMWY 006/9,

BY J -4M ATTORNEYS B. CROUCH CANDELABRA May 28, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 10, 1959 1 INVENTOR swan fix 0066 BY JLJ 9 ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 3,091,106 Patented May 28, 1963 3,691,106 CANDELABRA Brockway Crouch, 2233 W. Cumberiand Ava, Knoxville l6, Tenn. Filed June 10, 1959, Ser. No. 819,458 5 Claims. (Ql. 67-25) This invention relates to candelabra and, more particularly, to candelabra for use in decorating churches for weddings and other special events.

The candelabra in general use for church decorations prior to the present invention have been rather bulky and difficult to use efiectively. A typical candelabrum usually would include a base of considerable mass, an upright member of adjustable height extending from the base, a cross bar fixed to the upper end of the upright member, and candle receptacles spaced along the cross bar.

One of the major disadvantages encountered by florists in using such equipment was a difficulty in storing and handling the units. The various parts of each unit were secured together in a more or less permanent fashion, so that the units had to be stored and handled in their assembled form if a realistic utilization of the time of the florist was to be attained. Hence, when a florist set about to decorate a church for a wedding, he had to carry dozens of assembled units from his shop to a truck and then from the truck into the church. Usually, two units were about all a man could carry conveniently at one time.

Another disadvantage inherent in the candelabra known prior to the present invention was a lack of fiem bility insofar as the decorative effects which could be produced thereby. Each unit was complete in itself, and any combination of units carried with it all of the restrictions as to shape, size, etc., embodied in the individual units. If, for example, the style of candelabra used by a given florist had seven candle receptacles thereon, the combinations attainable with such units were limited to multiples of seven candles, whether or not this really suited the space to be decorated. It was not feasible to shift the candle receptacles so as to vary the spacing thereof. Moreover, the upright members, or standards, occurred at regular intervals, so as to pose additional problems in making combinations of units conform to the available space in the church.

Serious difiiculties also were encountered in straightening the candles or candle holders used with these prior candelabra. If a candle were tilted in its elevated candle receptacle, it frequently was necessary for the florist to climb up a ladder or an article of furniture to straighten it. Even so, there was a likelihood of further trouble because the source of the difiiculty was usually in a tilted receptacle or a difierence in size between the receptacle opening and the candle.

Difficulties of this type were due in part, of course, to deficiencies in the candles or the candle holders used. The candle holders known heretofore have been simulated candles into which the real candles might be placed and pressed upwardly by spring means so that only the tip portion of the candle would protrude from the holder. Such constructions have failed to make adequate provisions for efiective coaction between the candle holder and the means by which it was to be supported in the overall decoration plan.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the various disadvantages and objections noted above and to provide candelabra which can be used easily to produce a wide variety of decorative efiects.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a candelabrum construction in which the various parts are easily detachable from each other to facilitate transportation and storage,

Another object of this invention is to provide a candelabrum construction in which the several parts can be adjusted readily with respect to each other so as to increase the flexibility of the candelabrum from the point of view of the decorative effects that can be achieved.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a candelabraum base formed of curved tubes which can be disassembled quickly for eflicient storage and transportation.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a candelabrum a candle holder having a detachable cap at its upper end so that the holder can be easily and simply loaded with a candle from the top.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a vertical opening in the lower end of each candle holder pivotally clamped to a generally horizontally extending elevated support, whereby an end of a vertical adjusting rod may be inserted in said opening to straighten the holder.

An additional object of this invention is to provide on a candle holder a U-shaped saddle member whereby a plurality of holders may be clamped on a generally horizontal, elevated support member of curved configuration, or any desired shape, to produce a novel pattern.

Another object of the invention is to provide a candle holder having a bobeche or drip cup disposed thereon so that the bobeche may serve to support the candle holder in the end of a paper tube or the like.

It is also an object of this invention to produce a candelabrum of ornamental appearance, of simple structure, and which is easily and inexpensively manufactured.

The foregoing objects may be attained by providing a candelabra kit made up of light-Weight structural members provided with means for detachably connecting together the candelabrum components and for permitting adjustments in the relative positions of the parts.

In one embodiment of the invention, the upright part, or standard, of a candelabrum is is in the form of telescoping aluminum tubes. The tubes of several candelabra may be packed together for storage or transportation in a small cylindrical package which is easy to handle and which occupies a minimum of space.

Such upright members are ideally suited to the needs of the'florist in decorating a church. He can place them properly by tying them to chairs or other articles of furniture, or he can detachably connect them to various types of stable base members.

One form of base member provided by the present invention includes three bent tubes, each of which is notched at its upper end for receiving the lower end of the standard of the candelabrum. This construction is so very easy to assemble on the site to be decorated that the florist need not devote any particular effort to planning or carrying out the operation. The tripod unit is quite stable in use, even though it is light in Weight. Moreover, the

several bent tubes which make up a base can be stored in a small space by locating them so that the curves of all are located in the same plane.

At its upper end, the standard or upright fits into or around the lower end of a novel candle holder provided by the invention. Such candle holder is a tube having a flattened intermediate portion. Above the flattened portion, the tube receives a spring and a candle resting upon the spring. An apertured detachable cap fits over the upper end of the tube to hold the candle in place while permitting the wick and tip of the candle to protrude sufficiently for proper burning. Below the flattened portion,

the tube is entirely open so as to provide a downwardly opening socket for receiving the upper end of a standard or an adjusting rod used to straighten the candle holders after the initial arrangement has been completed.

The flattened intermediate portion of the tube provides a means by which the candle holder may be fixed to a cross bar or tube. A screw passing through an aperture in the flattened portion and having a wing nut thereon permits the candle holders to be attached directly to a cross bar or to a clamp receiving a cross bar. It is an important advantage of the invention that the wing nut may be adjusted so as to provide enough friction to hold the candle holder against unintended angular movements relative to the cross bar while permitting such angular adjustments as may 'be desired by the florist.

When a cross bar has been connected to a plurality of candle holders as described above, the assembly is relatively flat and compact. A large number of these assemblies may be stored and transported in a case of a size similar to that of an ordinary suitcase. For example, sixteen head assemblies according to one embodiment of the invention fit easily into a case approximately one foot, by one-and-one-half feet, by two feet.

A better understanding of these and other features and advantages of the invention will be gained from a consideration of the following description of certain embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one form of candelabrum embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a single candle holder of the form shown in FIG. 1, showing the holder with a detachable cap member at the top and with a wing nut to clamp the holder to a cross bar;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the holder shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a detail front elevational view showing a modification of the invention of FIG. 1, in which a pivoted saddle member on the candle holder is clamped to a generally horizontal rod of curved configuration;

FIG. '5 is a side elevation of the modification shown inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing the detailed structureby which the cap member is secured to the body of the candle holder;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a modification of the invention, showing an individual candle holder being straightened;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view showing how the rod sections of FIG. 7 are connected together;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view of the upper end portion of the candle holder shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6;

FIG. 10 is an exploded View illustrating the manner in which a candle holder of this invention may be supported by the upper end of a tube of cardboard or other material;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a novel candelabrum base construction in accordance with the invention;

. FIG. 12 is a detail horizontal cross sectional view taken along the line 12'12 in FIG. 11, with the elastic sleeve omitted to show the constructional features; and FIG..1 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the manner of associating the base elements of FIGS. 11 and 12 with the standard of a candelabrum.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference numeral 10 denotes generally a candelabrum constructed in accordance with the invention. It includes a shaft or rod 11, which may be telescopically received in a lower tubular support 12 and held in adjusted position by a nut 13. These elements make up the standard, or upright support unit, for the candelabrum 16. The shaft or rod 11 supports at its upper end a candelabrum head assembly including a plurality of candle holders 14.

Each candle holder 14 includes an upper tubular portion 15 on the upper end of which may be mounted a cap 18. The cap 18 has an indentation 20' in its side wall near its lower end adapted to be received in a vertical slot 21 and horizontal slot 22 in the upper end of the tubular portion 15, to detachably secure the cap 18 to the tubular portion 15. A conventional bayonet slot and pin connection may be used if desired between the tubular body portion 15 and the cap 18. These members are telescoped with each other, as shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 9.

A candle 24 is mounted in the holder by unfastening the upper cap member 18 and inserting the candle in the open end of the tubular portion 15 and then replacing the cap member 18. A spring 23 inserted in the bottom of the upper tubular portion 15 bears against the lower end of the candle 24 to urge the wick 25 at the upper end of the candle, through the small opening 19 in the upper end of the cap 18. The opening 19 is only large enough to accommodate the tip of the candle as it burns, so that the melting wax will not flow down the outside of the cap 18 and tubular portion 15 and drip down onto valuable church furniture and carpet.

A bobeche or drip plate 32 has been shown on each of the candle holders 14 in FIG. 1, but this is not essential under normal conditions because there is little danger of drip from the burning candles 24. Still, the drip plates 32 may add materially to the decorative effect of the units, and they may be used if desired. Each drip plate 32 is a metal disc having an opening therethrough for receiving the upper tubular portion 15 of a candle holder 14-. The opening preferably is of such size that the drip plate 32 may be moved vertically along the portion 15 of its candle holder 14 but not over either the cap 18 or the flattened a portion 16 of the candle holder.

candle holders 14-, all supported on a single cross bar 17.-

In FIG. 1, I have shown two such cross bars '17 and 17', both secured together at their adjacent ends and to the adjacent holder 14 by a single bolt 26. However, one bar 17 may be used for the entire group of candle holders, and connected intermediate its ends by the bolt 26 to the middle holder as well as to all of the other holders 14 in the group.

. Each candle holder 14 has an open lower end, as at 28, so that the holder assembly may be detachably mounted on the shaft 1 1 by inserting the upper end of said shaft in the opening 28 in the lower end of an intermediate holder 14. Also the lower opening 28 of each holder permits the insertion of a rod, such as that designated by the numeral 34 in 'FIG. 7, for straightening the holder in place when it is in an elevated position. The detachability of the candelabrum head assembly and the pivotal the unit placed in a suitable container for transportation V and for storage.

With the exception of the candle 24, it is preferred that all of the parts described above be formed of aluminum or other suitable light weight material. However, certain parts may be formed of white plastic, or other material, for ornamentation purposes, if desired.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a U-shaped saddle member 29 is employed to connect a candle holder '14 to a transversely extending rod 30 of curved or straight configuration. The saddle member 29 may be clamped in position on the rod 30 and simultaneously fixed to the flattened portion '16 of the candle holder 14 by tightening a wing nut 27 on a bolt 26 passing through the flattened portion 16 and the sides of the member 29.

A plurality of candle holders 14 clamped onto a curved rod 30 will produce a candel-abrum of arcuate configuration, such as shown in FIG. 7. The end holders 1-4 of a plurality of such arcuate candelabra may then be detachably supported on vertical rods 11, and the adjacent ends of the rods 30 may be secured together to produce an arch as shown in FIG. 7. In securing adjacent rods 30 together, a bolt 26' and a wing nut 27 may be passed through suitable apertures in the overlapping end portions of the rods 39, in the manner suggested in FIG. 8. A washer 35 may be included in the coupling, if desired.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that many other variations or alternate forms of candelabrum may be made by grouping the candle holders and connecting these together on a unitary support either intermediate the ends of a supporting bar, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, or at the ends of the connecting bar, as shown in FIG. 7. The candle holder serves not only to support the candle, but also as a support for the group of candle holders by receiving a suitable standard such as shown at 11, in the tubular lower end 28 thereof, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 7. The support rod or bar may be either straight, arcuate, or of any other desired form. Likewise, the support standard, including the shaft 11 and its support -12, may be mounted in any desired manner, as for example, on the base 36 in FIG. 7, or connected in any desired way with the furniture or building where the candle holders are to be used. One rod or bar, or a sectional rod or bar, may be used for this purpose.

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 illustrate a form of base construction which can be packed in a small space and assembled easily at the site Where it is needed. This base is essentially a tripod made up of three legs 40 of identical configuration.

Each leg 40 is a tube bent to provide a vertically extending inner portion 42 and a diverging outer portion 44. The outer portion 44 preferably is provided with a rubber cap 46 so that it may rest against the floor or other support surface without scratching it. The upper end of the vertical portion 42 is provided with a pair of spaced vertical slots 48 (FIG. 13) for receiving the Wall of the tube 12 forming the lower end portion of the standard of a candelabnlm. When the slots 48 of all three of the legs 40 have been moved into position so that they receive portions of the wall of the tube 12, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the assembly may be completed by slipping an elastic band 50 surrounding the tube 12 down over the end portions of the legs 40. Of course, adhesive tape, or other means, may be employed in lieu of the elastic band 50, if desired.

It will be recalled that the bobeche or drip cup 32 surrounding the body portion of a candle holder 14 is largely ornamental in most instances, because there is very little likelihood of drip. However, FIG. illustrates a situation in which the bobeche assumes structural importance.

Florists frequently employ cardboard tubes of various kinds in achieving decorative efiects. These tubes can be used to simulate very tall candles, for example. The present invention contemplates the use of the bobeche 32 as a support for a candle holder 14 in such an environment. In FIG. 10, the upper end of cardboard tube 52 is of a diameter slightly less than that of the bobeche 32, so that 6 when the bobeche is lowered, it rests against the top of the tube '52. The cap 18 on the candle holder 14 then rests upon the upper surface of the bobeche 32 to support the candle holder 14 with the wick 25 of the candle protruding to give the visual impression that the tube 52 is a tall candle.

Various modifications may be resorted to within the spirit of my invention and I do not wish to be limited to the specific details hereinbefore disclosed but only to the claims hereinafter set forth.

I claim:

l. A candle holder for use in church decoration for a wedding comprising a tubular element, said element being flattened intermediate its ends to provide a hollow upper candle holding portion and a lower tubular portion open at its lower end, said upper hollow portion having an opening in its upper end adapted to pass therethrough the upper end of a candle supported in said upper hollow portion, an elongated support member, means to pivotally clamp said flattened portion to said support member, said lower open end of the lower tubular portion adapted to receive an end of a vertical rod to straighten up said holder relative to said member.

2. A candle holder for use in church decorations comprising a tubular element, said element being flattened intermediate its ends to provide a hollow upper candleholding portion and a lower tubular portion open at its lower end, a cap member surrounding the upper end of said hollow upper portion, said cap member having an inwardly extending projection in its lower end portion, the upper end of said upper hollow portion being vertically and horizontally grooved and receiving said projection to detach-ably secure said cap member, said cap member having an opening in the upper end thereof of a size to restrict the projection through said opening to the tip of a candle in said upper hollow portion, an elongated support member, means to pivotally clamp said flattened portion to said support member, said open end of the lower tubular portion adapted to receive an end of a vertical rod to straighten up said holder relative to said member.

3. In combination, a candelabrum [for use in church decoration for a wedding comprising a plurality of spaced, vertical, tubular holder elements, each tubular element having a flattened intermediate portion, a hollow upper candle holding portion and a lower tubular portion open at its lower end, the upper hollow holder having an opening in its upper end adapted to pass therethrough the upper end of a candle supported in said hollow upper holder portion, the lower tubular portion being open at its lower end, an elongated connector pivotally clamped to the flattened portions of said plurality of holder elements, and a vertical support member detachably received in the lower open end of the lower tubular portion of an intermediate holder element.

4. In combination, an arch formation comprising a plurality of candelabra, each candelab-rum comprising a row of spaced, vertical candle holders, a connector rod for each said candelabrum, said holders being pivotally clamped intermediate their ends to said connector rod extending thereacross, said rod-s being detachably connected end-to-end in arcuate formation, said holders being open at their lower ends, support means comprising a vertical shaft detachably inserted in the opening in the lower end of each endmost holder of said arcuate formation to support said candelabra in elevated position, said lower openings in said holders each providing an access for the insertion of a vertical rod to straighten up an elevated holder relative to said rod.

5. A candle holder comprising an upper tubular portion having a chamber therein open at its top for receiving a candle therein, spring means in said chamber for urging the candle upwardly, a cap detachably connected to the upper end of said tubular portion and having an aperture therein through which the tip of the candle may protrude, a lower tubular portion being open at its lower end, a flattened portion intermediate said upper and lower portions,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nehr Dec. 3, 1901 8 Baumer Oct. 2,

Kail Nov; 7, Nicola et a1. Aug. 19, Szi-gethy June, 7, McElroy Jan. 20, Elderkin May 26, Benzi ger Dec. 26, Ferdman Dec. 28, 

3. IN COMBINATION, A CANDELABRUM FOR USE IN CHURCH DECORATION FOR A WEDDING COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SPACED, VERTICAL, TUBULAR HOLDER ELEMENTS, EACH TUBULAR ELEMENT HAVING A FLATTENED INTERMEDIATE PORTION, A HOLLOW UPPER CANDLE HOLDING PORTION AND A LOWER TUBULAR PORTION OPEN AT ITS LOWER END, THE UPPER HOLLOW HOLDER HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS UPPER END ADAPTED TO PSS THERETHROUGH THE UPPER END OF A CANDLE SUPPORTED IN SAID HOLLOW UPPER HOLDER PORTION, THE LOWER TUBULAR PORTION BEING OPEN AT ITS LOWER END, AN ELONGATED CONNECTOR PIVOTALLY CLAMPED TO THE FLATTENED PORTIONS OF SAID PLURALITYOF HOLDER ELEMENTS, AND A VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER DETACHABLY RECEIVED IN THE LOWER OPEN END OF THE LOWER TUBULAR PORTION OF AN INTERMEDIATE HOLDER ELEMENT. 